Concord High School’s Joe Consiglio and Cab Calloway’s Sydney Rubin Named Delaware English Teacher and Language Arts Student of the Year

Smyrna, DE (PRWEB) August 01, 2011

On Wednesday, July 27, 2011, at the Delaware Shakespeare Festival, Prestwick House announced the winner of the second annual Delaware English Teacher of the Year Award, Joe Consiglio, and the Delaware Language ArtsStudent of the Year, Sydney Rubin.

The announcement, part of the Teacher Appreciation Night festivities, was made by Prestwick House General Manager, Keith Bergstrom. Prior to the evening’s performance of The Winter’s Tale, Mr. Bergstrom recognized both Mr. Consiglio and Ms. Rubin on stage.

“Teachers are an indispensible part of the community that is often underappreciated,” says Prestwick House CEO, Jason Scott. “Teaching is not just a job, it is a vocation, and those who work tirelessly year after year should be recognized and celebrated for their efforts.”

“Like teachers, students have the ability to be role models in the educational community. We are so proud to honor both Mr. Consiglio and Ms. Rubin for their achievements and dedication to their respective roles in the classroom.”

During his teaching career of over 22 years, Joe Consiglio has taken on many roles. In addition to holding the position of Program Director for the Jewish Community Center each summer since he began teaching, Mr. Consiglio has also has found success in writing children’s songs and is currently in the process of publishing his first children’s book under the pseudonym “Silly Joe.”

In the classroom, Mr. Consiglio is known for encouraging students to act out roles and scenes, to create their own interpretations of literature, and to draw connections between their world and the world of the story using fun projects like a CSI-style investigation of the final scene of To Kill a Mockingbird.

When asked why he thinks he was nominated for teacher of the year, Mr. Consiglio stated very simply, “I think it comes down to this: I love teaching. I love teaching Shakespeare. And I love teaching kids--all kids, any age, any background. I'm just having a really good time doing the things I love, and aside from my wife and my family, teaching is the number one thing I love.”

Equally admirable is Delaware Student of the Year Sydney Rubin, who plans to make her living as a professional novelist, writer, and poet. In addition to her studies, Ms. Rubin keeps a busy schedule as an editor for both the school newspaper and the school literary magazine, an illustrator for the Manga/Japanese Animations Club, the co-vice president of the Cab Calloway Speech and Debate Club, and the co-founder of the youth open mic and slam group DelaWhere?! Youth Slam.

According to nominating teacher Lisa Coburn, “I could come up with a lot of colorful, vibrant expressions to describe Sydney and they would barely form an outline of the incredible story that Sydney weaves every day of her life with words. She is a writer. She lives it, she breathes it, and she brings her words to life with a voice and a power of expression behind that voice that is like no one else I have taught in 22 years of teaching English Literature. “

In addition to a plaque commemorating their achievements, Mr. Consiglio received a new Apple iPad loaded with digital teaching materials, and Ms. Rubin received a $500 scholarship. In the coming months, both winners will be featured on the Prestwick House website, blog, and in the Footnotes monthly email newsletter.

About Prestwick House - Founded in 1983 by a former Dover High School administrator, Prestwick House is a leader in educational publishing. With a focus on helping English teachers in grades 9-12, Prestwick House publishes the largest selection of literature teaching guides in the country, a line of classic novels, and hundreds of other educational products. Find out more at http://www.prestwickhouse.com.